tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1643855189323872622018-03-02T08:09:56.447-08:00Skagway Historical SocietySkagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.comBlogger679125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-87120233836596364162012-08-01T16:08:00.000-07:002012-08-01T16:08:00.097-07:00Famous People<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_jykJVu4hvI/UBm2t66hfZI/AAAAAAAABp8/6IytN0XtJ2g/s1600/back-to-the-future-delorean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_jykJVu4hvI/UBm2t66hfZI/AAAAAAAABp8/6IytN0XtJ2g/s400/back-to-the-future-delorean.jpg" /></a></div> <p>I have been correcting my database of people in Skagway during the Gold Rush by looking at the actual 1900 census which is now online at Family Search, the genealogy database maintained by the Mormons. I have found quite a few misspellings and in so doing have found some (now) famous names. <p>So, both Peter Jackson (born January 1865 in Delaware) and George Lucas (born November 1846 in England) were here in 1900. Peter Jackson worked as a clerk and George Lucas worked as a miner - or at least that is what he said he was when asked by the census taker. So, unless they used a time machine which looked like a Delorean we can only imagine that they led quiet lives here in Skagway. <p>1900 censusSkagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-51969338272689902272012-07-30T12:08:00.001-07:002012-07-30T12:08:24.947-07:00The Strawberry King<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZ2j0t_NKRQ/UBbbkGdkzhI/AAAAAAAABpg/Qhdi7UhcKrE/s1600/strawberry_festival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="350" width="350" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZ2j0t_NKRQ/UBbbkGdkzhI/AAAAAAAABpg/Qhdi7UhcKrE/s400/strawberry_festival.jpg" /></a></div> <p>Charles N. Anway was born May 1, 1857 in Ionia County Michigan and died December 11, 1949 in Juneau. Mostly he lived in Haines and loved to garden. <p>"Strawberries were the first crop that Anway grew. He got his start from Jack Dalton’s garden at Porcupine (up valley from Haines). Dalton told him that he got the berry from a man named Dixon about twenty years before. This strawberry is without a rival in size or quality and it does well almost everywhere in the valley, as the climate and soil seem well suited for the plant. During the picking season, Anway would hire as many as 20 women and girls. Pickers were paid 5 cents per box, and they could often earn five dollars a day picking as many as 150 crates. The crates sold for $4.50 each so he was grossing about $720 per day. He continued this for about 25 years, shipping berries to Skagway, then north on the train, and also shipping to Juneau when ships were available. Haines became known as the Strawberry Capital of Alaska. In the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, Anway won a certificate of honor for his "strawberries in glass." His obituaries called him Alaska’s the "Strawberry King of Alaska". The community of Haines held an annual "Strawberry Festival" in his honor for many years." <p>Rootsweb - Bob Henderson, Haines (Notes by R. T. Edwards).Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-81728888293190650732012-07-27T10:19:00.002-07:002012-07-27T10:21:59.340-07:00James Johnston Hales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0JK4pUeJwk/UBLNnG1SGLI/AAAAAAAABpE/lWxrAY1vhsQ/s1600/NSV4N4P4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="302" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N0JK4pUeJwk/UBLNnG1SGLI/AAAAAAAABpE/lWxrAY1vhsQ/s400/NSV4N4P4.jpg" /></a></div> <p>The Wild Animal Meat Market in Dawson in 1900, James is seen in his butcher's apron in front of the store <p>James Johnston Hales, born in 1870 in Toronto, was the eldest son of John and Ann Hales. He spent his early life in Chatham working in his father’s butcher shop. In 1897 at the age of 27 he went to the Klondike for nearly two years in search of precious gold. Some highlights of his trip – taken from the Chatham newspaper, the Evening Banner, 1899, – include: <p>"James Hales left Seattle, Washington for Skagway in December 1897 taking some 3000 pounds of meat that he hoped to sell. This made history as it was the first meat transported by horses and packed on men’s backs. He located two miles from the Chilicoot Pass at Lake Lindeman and opened a grocery store, meat market and post office. The shipment of meat didn’t prove very profitable. Most of the people who managed to get that far were short of money and they couldn’t afford to buy meat. Also, they hadn’t got tired of eating pork and beans." <p>"On June 15, 1898 he sold his business and bought a 27 foot boat to paddle down the Yukon River where they had to shoot the famous White Horse rapids. After a treacherous and thrill packed trip he arrived in Dawson City on the 30th of June. He spent the next five months prospecting. "My companions and myself just put packs on our backs and went into the gold fields. We lay all night with our packs for pillows wherever night overtook us." As their boat was number 13706 many prospectors had set out ahead of them. The mosquito plague, black ants, poor diets, and hard work in the Bear Mine on Elderado Creek didn’t stop him from staking several claims. On arrival in Dawson City he opened a butcher business and operated it for ten months serving a population of 20,000 people." <p>"The trip from Chatham to the Yukon can now be made in two weeks," said John Hales in 1897. Today you could make it in one day or two at the most. On his return trip to Chatham he spent a few days in Seattle, arriving home well and hearty, stating that he intended to go back next year, 1899, which he did. "The Klondike is a great place and I like the climate," said James Johnston Hales in 1899. He brought home a number of gold nuggets which he was very proud of. An exceedingly large and beautiful one of considerable value he gave to his mother Ann Johnston Hales. <p>His daughter Alice was born in 1900 in Dawson. The Hales family moved to Hayward, California where J.J. also ran a butcher shop until his untimely death in a railroad accident in 1934: <p>"Apparently Unaware of Approach of Locomotive James Johnston Hales of Cherry Way was killed this morning when his auto was struck by an Western Pacific freight train on the road crossing on Cherry Way. Apparently unaware of the approach, Mr. Hales was thrown from his machine in the impact and died a few minutes later before an ambulance could take him to a hospital. He had a broken leg and arm, a basal fracture of the skull and internal injuries. <p>It was reported that two cats were supposed to have been in the car with Mr. Hales. They were also killed by the crash. <p>Mr. Hales' son Waller H. Hales told investigating officers that his father drove each morning to his butcher shop. He drove for some distance from his home in second gear. That fact may account for his apparent failure to hear the train as there were no skid marks. There were no skid marks or other indications that he tried to avoid the crash according to Capt. L. A. Eike and Officer George of the state highway patrol. Besides the son, Mr Hales is survived by his wife Mrs Laura Hales. He was born in Toronto, Canada. Funeral arrangements await the arrival of a daughter from the east." <p> Hayward Daily Review , August 30, 1934; family websites.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-17155608216527082462012-07-26T16:36:00.001-07:002012-07-26T16:36:26.619-07:00Jonas Peter Hagstrom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RfZVo-OPm4Y/UBHUVwm7m1I/AAAAAAAABo0/YyveWwIkHhk/s1600/Hagstrom.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="187" width="143" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RfZVo-OPm4Y/UBHUVwm7m1I/AAAAAAAABo0/YyveWwIkHhk/s400/Hagstrom.tiff" /></a></div> <p>Jonas Peter Hagstrom was born on April 11, 1871 in Sweden. Although happily married with a daughter, he decided to go to the Yukon to search for gold around 1906. Maria and Elsa stayed in Sweden but he wrote to them during the decades that he lived at Teslin in a little cabin. Here is part of one poem he wrote: <p> "...for you know tis constant dripping <p>wears away the hardest stone. <p>Never slack sublime endeavour, <p>nor midst cheerless toil despair; <p>If you'd rise above your fellows <p>Remember you must "Win and Wear". <p>Jonas, or John as he adopted the local name, was found dead in 1941 in his cabin. <p>Every Trail has a story: Heritage Travel in Canada, by Bob Henderson and James Raffan.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-36857863228049542382012-07-26T15:46:00.000-07:002012-07-26T15:46:11.316-07:00Cost of freight 1900<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gtPHdCZAXz4/UBHIiwHxRPI/AAAAAAAABok/1r_lEjNTKAY/s1600/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="184" width="275" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gtPHdCZAXz4/UBHIiwHxRPI/AAAAAAAABok/1r_lEjNTKAY/s400/Unknown.jpg" /></a></div> <p>In a Northwest Mounted Police Report of 1900, the cost of freight on White Pass from Skagway to Whitehorse was 4 1/2 cents per pound (a distance of 110 miles). It was observed that this was high but certainly not as high as it had been before the railroad was built. Then, by horse, it was 40 cents to $1 a pound.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-53710805955398141202012-07-25T12:21:00.002-07:002012-07-25T12:22:22.668-07:00Huskies on the White Pass Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2awcoRmHY3A/UBBHStft_jI/AAAAAAAABoU/Uc8lPU6AZYk/s1600/mail-team1916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="342" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2awcoRmHY3A/UBBHStft_jI/AAAAAAAABoU/Uc8lPU6AZYk/s400/mail-team1916.jpg" /></a></div> <p>Another entry from Jessop's diary talked about the sled dogs in 1897 on the White Pass Trail: <p>"A team of huskies (esquimeau dogs) were on the trail. They differ from the domestic dog. They do not make friends or play among themselves. They have an intelligent look, wide between the eyes, prick ears, have a furry or woolly coat, are very tractable and great little pullers. I think they cost about forty dollars each. When their drivers would call out "Musho" they would make an extra effort as Musho meant Food." <p> Seen above is a dog team at Ruby Alaska in 1916Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-18595549645217259082012-07-24T15:17:00.000-07:002012-07-24T15:17:01.182-07:00THOMAS JAMES JESSOP 1871 1956<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCF4haqOuI0/UA8e0uUukFI/AAAAAAAABoE/abN1Gvp4Miw/s1600/diary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="339" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCF4haqOuI0/UA8e0uUukFI/AAAAAAAABoE/abN1Gvp4Miw/s400/diary.jpg" /></a></div> <p>The other day a descendent of T.J. stopped in here to my office and gave me a copy of his ancestor's diary. <p>T.J.Jessop had started from Australia in late 1897 and after several adventures wrote this about Skagway: <p>"I will revert to Skagway it was a very lawless city and was terrorised by a notorious gang of criminals, the chief was known as "Soapy Smith", He was very amiable and meek in his manner and very like a parson in more ways than one, and very deceiving in every way. <p>Several Aussies were forcibly robbed by the gang. Members of the gang would turn up by boat from Vancouver and of course they, or some of them, would play "Two Up" and the gang took particular notice of those who had plenty of money, and on arrival at Skagway would introduce them to members of the gang. They would then propose to show them Indian Totem Poles and rain gods (which were mythical) and when a secluded spot was reached would forcibly rob them. The robbed would appeal to the Marshall (he was in charge of the soldiers) no police and he would just laugh at them at being caught as there were hoardings everywhere containing warnings. <p> In Vancouver and Skagway really there was no excuse at being caught. The gang even went as far as to establish information bureaus (which were bogus), but on entering these places there was always some form of gambling going on and if the entrant did not join in, they cut his gold belt off from around his waist. <p>I read this after I came back to Australia that a man named Reid was in Soapy's gambling den when a dispute arose and Reid got the drop on Soapy. There were not many members of the gang present and he was bluffed, and it preyed so heavily on his mind that next day he was seen making for the jetty with a gun in his hand. Reid was an engineer and was supervising repairs or extension to the jetty. He saw Soapy coming and both fired at the same time. Reid was shot through a wrist and Soapy was shot dead. The gang then became disorganised and the townspeople rounded them up and put them in a steamer and sent them down to the "States". (U.S.A.)" <p>An interesting take on the Soapy-Reid gun battle!Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-5865584130338166622012-07-24T14:32:00.002-07:002012-07-24T14:35:53.577-07:00William Arter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4VNvSWqqHBo/UA8VCm_hacI/AAAAAAAABn0/IxeBBt321uU/s1600/dedmans%2Bphoto.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="250" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4VNvSWqqHBo/UA8VCm_hacI/AAAAAAAABn0/IxeBBt321uU/s400/dedmans%2Bphoto.tiff" /></a></div> <p>William Arter was born on July 20, 1882, the oldest of eleven children in Bagthorp, Norfolk, England. In 1901 he was working on board the HMS Jupiter in Gibralter. He jumped ship in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1905. In 1914 he was living in Skagway and met Caroline Louella Sundeen (born July 25, 1894) and they went to Whitehorse and were married in May, 1914. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Railway Car-Men in 1915 and was working for White Pass doing car repair. He and Carrie had 5 children and moved to Tacoma. <p>By 1918 he was a railroad car inspector in Seattle when he registered for the army. He lost one brother in World War One and one brother in World War Two. Although Carrie died at a young age in 1937 in Tacoma, William lived to be 88 and died on April 6, 1970 while residing at Olympia, Washington. <p>Seen above is the train on Broadway looking south, a Dedman's photo. <p>1915 dir; colonist newp in Victoria 1916 mentions his bro KIA in France; Railway Carmens Journal #20 online; 1900 census; 1910 census; Dawson Daily news for June 1, 1914.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-66127910589497258312012-07-19T16:28:00.001-07:002012-07-19T17:04:35.629-07:00Ensign Rebecca Ellery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HAZbNkzBSZg/UAiX8xqGeJI/AAAAAAAABnY/yQKF3ZzkDqY/s1600/Rebecca%2BEllery.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="295" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HAZbNkzBSZg/UAiX8xqGeJI/AAAAAAAABnY/yQKF3ZzkDqY/s400/Rebecca%2BEllery.tiff" /></a></div> <p>Rebecca Ellery was born in 1858 in Muskoka and Parry Sound, Ontario. From an early age the family was listed in the Canadian Census as "Bible Christian" and later as Salvation Army. Every reference to her trip to the Klondike in 1898 refers to her as an "experienced missionary" (a euphemism for old). The previous picture that I posted of the Yukon Field Force shows her huddled in furs looking quite old, but actually she was only 40 at the time. <p>The other woman, Laura Aikenhead said in 1945, that the 1898 party had two detachable canoes that they carried over the Chilkoot Pass on their backs. When they put the canoes together at Lake Bennett, they enjoyed paddling up the lakes and rivers. She said it was the most northerly post the Salvation Army ever had. <p>Anyway, here is a much later photo of Rebecca. She may have gone back home to Ontario to be with family. Note the "S" on her collar for Salvation Army. Laura said she was a staff captain on the trip. <p>familysearch, censuses.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-60308059746718842372012-07-19T12:41:00.001-07:002012-07-19T12:41:14.635-07:00Frank Rich Burney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCwoNuYWdyA/UAhikqf3wHI/AAAAAAAABnI/TwD6sneH1yA/s1600/2006AK-BoardofTrade1898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="260" width="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCwoNuYWdyA/UAhikqf3wHI/AAAAAAAABnI/TwD6sneH1yA/s400/2006AK-BoardofTrade1898.jpg" /></a></div> <p>Frank Burney was born on April 9, 1874 in Wisconsin. In 1896 he was working as a farmer in Fresno, California. There were other Burney's in the area so presumably he went there with family. Farming must not have been too interesting, so in May of 1897 he came north. And here is where he disappears for a couple of years. <p>He showed up on the Upper Bonanza with his new wife, Blanche Pattie Martin also from Wisconsin, in 1901. He was working a claim on the Upper Bonanza with partner E.J. Hill until 1904 when Hill died and Frank took his body back to Fresno. <p> Now, this may be a stretch, but there was a U.S. Marshall appointed in Skagway in July, 1898 by the name of Barney, no other information. He is significant because he was one of the three Marshals that arrested the Soapy gang during July 1898. In March of 1899, Charles Eckerman, the bartender at the Board of Trade Saloon (seen above in 1898), tried to shoot Barney (Eckerman was shot and killed 6 months later). It was about this time that Burney went to Dawson, so I am jumping to the concussion that Barney and Burney are one in the same. <p>In any event, Blanche and Frank left the Yukon and moved to California, living in Berkeley, Long Beach, Fresno and Los Angeles. Blanche died in 1956, Frank in 1957 and their daughter, born to them late in life, Virginia, died in 1941 at the age of 26. <p>Yukon archives; familysearch censuses; California death and census records: Seattle Post Intelligence of Sept 22, 1899.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-71917016467358178092012-07-18T14:07:00.000-07:002012-07-18T14:12:11.717-07:00Herman Kirmse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pVQmeDDGrFY/UAclSnvSLiI/AAAAAAAABm4/iYW5oWR2z6g/s1600/SCAN0353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="250" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pVQmeDDGrFY/UAclSnvSLiI/AAAAAAAABm4/iYW5oWR2z6g/s400/SCAN0353.jpg" /></a></div> <p>My friend Teri Williams dropped this short story by today, and I thought I would share it with all of you: <p>"During the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition, held in Seattle in 1909, Mr. Herman Kirmse was awarded four first place gold medals and two second bronze medals for his dislay of gold nugget jewelry, baskets, ivory, and other Alaska made handicraft. A branch store was opened in Ketchikan. <p>"In October of 1912, he, his wife, Hazel Cleveland Kirmse, daughter Gladys, and the two sons Jack and Dan were spending several months in Ketchikan before going to Seattle for the winter. Late Monday afternoon October 12, 1912, he went down to the Heckman wharf to greet friends on the Steamer Humbolt, which was just docking. While he was standing on a stringer on the wharf, one foot on a piling head which was cut so it beveled outward and shaking hands with a friend on board he apparently lost his balance and fell between the steamer and the wharf, his head striking the guard rail of the Humbolt. Death, which was instantaneous, came as a shock to all southeastern Alaska. <p>"To quote from the Juneau Empire, "Mr. Kirmse was a strong man in the community, a liberal advocate of all things which contribute to the growth of the community, popular with his fellowmen, honored by everyone." <p>"To Southeastern Alaskans the history of our late esteemed friend is interesting and the results obtained through, and by, his aid will always keep his name alive. <p>"After her husband's tragic death, Mrs. Kirmse sold the Ketchikan business and carried on alone, with the original Skagway Store. But, as soon as he could see over the counters she had the devoted and able help of their elder son, Jack. <p>"Since 1962, when his mother passed on, Jack Kirmse has continued with ever increasing success to operate the family business in the fine tradition of his parents. <p>"Herman Kirmse made the original NFS collection of Northwest Coast Native Art much of which is still in the hands of the current private owner." <p>Seen above is the Steamer Humboldt.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-49853171968297596672012-07-18T11:38:00.001-07:002012-07-18T11:38:11.109-07:00Frank Ketchum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PaPI1Y7aydg/UAb9KlrBwjI/AAAAAAAABmo/iy6upwQ8_6E/s1600/Whymer.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="375" width="253" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PaPI1Y7aydg/UAb9KlrBwjI/AAAAAAAABmo/iy6upwQ8_6E/s400/Whymer.tiff" /></a></div> <p>Two weeks after Kennicott died, Frank Ketchum who was appointed by Kennicott to carry on the exploration, left Nulato with LeBarge and continued up the Yukon. Ketchum was from St. Johns, New Brunswick, Canada and was one of the few original white explorers of the Yukon. He served on the expedition with Kennicott who we met yesterday and is pictured above with Michael LeBarge and the English artist Frederick Whymper (middle). Some records say that Ketchum came to Dyea in 1865 with George R. Adams, it is quite possible as these guys seemed to be everywhere in Alaska and the Yukon. They were made of tougher stuff, methinks. <p>Adams: Life on the Yukon; Buckley: "Journal of the U.S. Russo-American Telegraph Expedition 1865-67, microfilm at UAF;Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-77953247244569506012012-07-17T17:26:00.002-07:002012-07-17T17:26:33.236-07:00Robert Kennicott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3cHyd0oC5gY/UAYCWRIijEI/AAAAAAAABmI/MMHZfQ7woGg/s1600/220px-Robert_Kennicott_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="383" width="220" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3cHyd0oC5gY/UAYCWRIijEI/AAAAAAAABmI/MMHZfQ7woGg/s400/220px-Robert_Kennicott_2.jpg" /></a></div> <p>Robert Kennicott was born in New Orleans on November 13, 1835. In April 1859, supported by the Smithsonian Institution, the Audubon Society of Chicago, and the Hudson's Bay Company, he set off on an expedition to collect natural history specimens in the subarctic boreal forests of northwestern Canada in what is now the Mackenzie and Yukon river valleys and in the Arctic tundra beyond. Hudson's Bay Company fur traders in the area liked him and so Kennicott encouraged them to collect and send natural history specimens and First Nations artifacts to the Smithsonian. He returned to Washington at the end on 1862. With the Civil War in full play in 1862-64, Robert and his younger brother lived in the Smithsonian Castle along with Edward Drinker Cope and other noted naturalists. <p>He traveled across the Unalakleet portage to Nulato over the winter of 1865-1866 with Charles Pease and 2 Canadians, Frank Ketchum and Michael Lebarge. <p>In 1866, Kennicott failed to reach Fort Yukon, where he expected to meet another party from the Frazer River. One story says that this failure so preyed on his mind that he took a dose of strychnine. Other reports state that he died of a heart attack, but in any event we know he died on May 13, 1866. His remains were returned to the Kennicott Family plot in Glenview, Illinois at The Grove, which is a National Historic Landmark. <p>To commemorate his efforts on behalf of science, the Kennicott Glacier, Kennicott Valley, Motor Vessel Kennicott, and the Kennicott River were named after him. <p>Alaska and its Resources by William Healey Dall; The Dyea Trail January 19, 1898; Wikipedia.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-49359611600689530472012-07-17T12:17:00.000-07:002012-07-17T12:17:12.369-07:00Ernest Harris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i8RontzDcSw/UAW5lxmb-2I/AAAAAAAABl4/8kEmJBlEwNk/s1600/winter%2Bmountie.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="261" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i8RontzDcSw/UAW5lxmb-2I/AAAAAAAABl4/8kEmJBlEwNk/s400/winter%2Bmountie.tiff" /></a></div> <p>Corporal Ernest Harris signed up for the NWMP in Regina in 1893 and was sent to the post at Tagish on January 10, 1898. After two winters, he went to Skagway on leave in August 1899. It was paradise compared to Tagish. So, he decided he did not want to go back to Tagish. He became ill on March 15, 1900 so Dr. I.H. Moore did an emergency appendectomy on him. Luckily he survived that, but his NWMP Superiors in Tagish were not amused. So they sent Dr. Pare of the NWMP to Skagway to examine him, which he did, and reported that indeed, poor Harris could not travel. <p>Supt. Steele wanted him declared a deserter on April 6, 1900, but when he received a letter from Dr. Moore, he relented until May 29th when he said that unless Harris went to Tagish he would call him a deserter. On June 30th Harris finally returned to Bennett and Tagish at which time Steele had him examined by Dr. Pare. <p>So, in June 1900 Z.T. Wood finally declared him a deserter from August 26, 1899 which would prevent him from receiving pay from that time until 1900. What became of poor Harris, we don't know, but if given the choice of spending another winter at Tagish or in Skagway, one can certainly sympathize. <p>library and archives Canada on the NWMP personnel records online.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-985609932484239972012-07-13T11:50:00.003-07:002012-07-13T11:50:48.870-07:00The Glacier Hotel in Dyea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ty29iV4ePkc/UABtwSnp0_I/AAAAAAAABlo/hjFukO-NZaE/s1600/%2524%2528KGrHqRHJEcE%252BR8IMsibBP2z%2528ey44Q%257E%257E60_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="265" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ty29iV4ePkc/UABtwSnp0_I/AAAAAAAABlo/hjFukO-NZaE/s400/%2524%2528KGrHqRHJEcE%252BR8IMsibBP2z%2528ey44Q%257E%257E60_3.JPG" /></a></div><p>Though I do not know the owner of the Glacier Hotel in Dyea, here is a nice picture of it, with lots of stuff in the foreground.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-86532242045157880562012-07-13T11:04:00.000-07:002012-07-13T11:42:54.367-07:00Clara Hanna Richards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xVYHQOMNbNs/UABjBlyLoDI/AAAAAAAABlY/8xxEZipQDWQ/s1600/getimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="295" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xVYHQOMNbNs/UABjBlyLoDI/AAAAAAAABlY/8xxEZipQDWQ/s400/getimage.jpg" /></a></div> <p>The first Postmaster (then called Postmistress) was appointed in 1897 in Dyea by President McKinley. That, curiously was a 51 year old woman who came up to Alaska from Boise, Idaho. Clara and her brothers Daniel and Arthur Allen Richards were from a large family. The 8 kids were all born in Middleburg, Ohio to their farmer father and mother, but they had moved to Idaho sometime in the late 1800's. When the three siblings got to Dyea, Arthur Allen was appointed Deputy Marshal and Daniel was involved in some business. <p>The real story here was the scandal involving the Dyea post office. While Clara no doubt was working as hard as she could, the post office was a 14X20 cabin that by all accounts was deplorable. On most days the line stretched far and away with 300-400 men hoping to send and receive mail. Clara's rule was that no man could ask for mail for any more that 2 people. So if a guy came down to get mail for his 8 companions, it would take him all day to get mail. The amount of mail going North from Seattle was stupendous: 8 steamers full per month docked in Dyea. One steamer alone carried 4000 pieces of mail. <p>Some men wrote to the Postmaster General in Washington that her volunteers were charging 10 cents a letter to patrons. Clara was accused of slackness and inefficiency as well as graft. It was charged that Clara knew about this, but she countered that it was impossible to do the job without additional funds and assistance from government officials in Washington. So the line stretched for hundreds of feet every day. Seen above is the Dyea post office, but I could not find a photo of Clara. <p>Clara Richards never married and died on December 28, 1928 at the age of 81 in Boise. She is buried in the Morris Hill Cemetery. <p>Jackson Family website; familysearch; a Marcuse letter of July 6, 1901 called the "Weekly Philatelic Era"; Klondike Saga: The Chronicle of a Minnesota Gold Mining Company By Carl Ludwig LokkeSkagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-56062291042546234942012-07-12T15:27:00.002-07:002012-07-12T15:27:34.144-07:00Rosalie Hotel from behind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xa8QDpvR5JQ/T_9AQ3dBkjI/AAAAAAAABlI/_LlLtiWlSTc/s1600/Hotel%2Brosalie%2B1898.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="273" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xa8QDpvR5JQ/T_9AQ3dBkjI/AAAAAAAABlI/_LlLtiWlSTc/s400/Hotel%2Brosalie%2B1898.tiff" /></a></div> <p> So this photo was taken on Broadway while they were laying track down the street. Behind you can see the Hotel Rosalie, which I thought was on 4th, but then I recall it was moved there later. Hard to keep track of all the buildings in Skagway as they often grew feet and moved themselves.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-41472115868362923482012-07-12T14:21:00.001-07:002012-07-12T14:21:16.765-07:00Pantheon's new sign<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gLj63OHJTNA/T_8_VMTLZCI/AAAAAAAABk8/4Y_DXeyDnYc/s1600/0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="166" width="221" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gLj63OHJTNA/T_8_VMTLZCI/AAAAAAAABk8/4Y_DXeyDnYc/s400/0.jpeg" /></a></div> <p> So everytime I look at this it seems to SHOUT AT ME!!! The new Junior Ranger center is here - a nice activity for kids. It is on the corner of Broadway and 4th and open Monday-Friday 10-noon and 1-3 p.m.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-86761424917003530752012-07-12T12:41:00.000-07:002012-07-12T12:41:40.775-07:00Moore's Park wagon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bQ7a8CbNmuo/T_8lfKWtqkI/AAAAAAAABks/O2UWVio3EBE/s1600/0-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="166" width="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bQ7a8CbNmuo/T_8lfKWtqkI/AAAAAAAABks/O2UWVio3EBE/s400/0-1.jpeg" /></a></div> <p>A researcher just emailed to me this wonderful photo of two Moore family members on the Railroad dock. Note the lettering on the back of the seat that says "Moore's park" and the dogs pulling the little wagon. I remember seeing other photos of this wagon, but this is the first time I've seen this photo. I think that the boy is James Bernard Moore Jr. known as "Benny". He worked for Columbia Motion Pictures in L.A. and died there in 1960. He was born in 1891 which would have made him about 7 in 1898 which would match the photo. I would assume his dad is driving the wagon, also named James Bernard Moore.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-31110809569236056072012-07-11T12:56:00.002-07:002012-07-11T12:57:33.038-07:00Rev. John Wesley Glenk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eFugKl4BVUU/T_3aIdLmYSI/AAAAAAAABkc/fPETKKBvJBI/s1600/1906%2BSt%2BSaviours%2BEpiscopal.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="310" width="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eFugKl4BVUU/T_3aIdLmYSI/AAAAAAAABkc/fPETKKBvJBI/s400/1906%2BSt%2BSaviours%2BEpiscopal.tiff" /></a></div><p>The Reverend Glenk was born on June 2, 1874 in Fort Hunter, New York. He received his Ph. B. at New York University in 1897, his M.A. in 1899, his B.D. at Drew Theological Seminary in 1900 the same year he entered the Puget Sound Conference. He was a professor at Puget Sound University in 1901-1903. During this time he married Phydelia Rebecca Treat on this day, July 11, 1901. <p>They then went to Alaska in 1903 and by 1905 he was preaching at the Methodist Church here in Skagway. His daughter Esther was born in 1906 presumably here in Skagway, but for sure in Alaska. She joined her sister, Charlotte who was born in 1905 in Bellingham. The Glenks moved back to Bellingham and by 1921 John was working for the State Department of Highways as a statistician. Later they moved to Vancouver Washington where they died in 1956 and 1958. <p>Seen above is the St. Saviours Episcopal Church in 1906. Perhaps they are pictured in the group. <p>Alumni Record of Drew Theological Seminary; Washington records; local newspaper.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-55612999014288025532012-07-02T16:13:00.001-07:002012-07-02T16:13:35.935-07:00Captain Washington C. Coulson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2chjWMh0XxE/T_IoDiRZ_wI/AAAAAAAABkM/Z346bIFAD3o/s1600/coulson.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="348" width="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2chjWMh0XxE/T_IoDiRZ_wI/AAAAAAAABkM/Z346bIFAD3o/s400/coulson.tiff" /></a></div> Coulson was born in 1839 in Indiana. He was the Captain of the McCulloch which was built in 1897 and was Admiral Dewey's dispatch boat at Manila. On the night of April 30, 1898 Dewey was sneaking into Manila Harbor under cover of darkness. The Spanish garrison at Corregidor caught sight of them and the shots fired at the McCulloch were the first of the Spanish American war. The McCulloch was in the Revenue Cutter Service founded in 1789 by Alexander Hamilton to collect revenue, aid in the customs revenue laws, render assistance to vessels in distress, guard the seals and fisheries, prevent sales of arms and liquor to Indians, supervise lighthouse service, aid in the coast survey and do scientific research. The McCulloch had two rapid fire guns and two magazine guns (taken in Manila from the Reina Cristina a Spanish warship). Anyway, Coulson, seen above on the McCulloch was responsible for all of this and more, on the west coast and would stop at Skagway occasionally. He was made an honorary member of the Arctic Brotherhood here. He died on September 24, 1918 in Berkeley, California.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-30794514316195259352012-06-29T18:46:00.000-07:002012-07-02T10:50:37.363-07:00Frank Alfred Novak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MJAuhQVC6d0/T-5ZrUapORI/AAAAAAAABj8/CZ2Skcy8YFY/s1600/Untitled.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="276" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MJAuhQVC6d0/T-5ZrUapORI/AAAAAAAABj8/CZ2Skcy8YFY/s400/Untitled.tiff" /></a></div> Frank Novak was born on April 5, 1865 in Webster County, Iowa. He ran a mercantile store in Walford Ohio. He suffered some "financial reverses" (actually a gambling addiction) and put the business in debt. So, in frustration he took out a $30,000 life and accident insurance policy on himself. Then, on February 2, 1897 lured his friend Edward Murray to the store, crushed his skull, robbed him and then burned the store over him to cover the crime. He fled the scene, I found some evidence that Novak's wife, Mary had claimed that he died in the fire, thus claiming the life insurance. But insurance companies are not so easily fooled. He was pursued for six months across the continent and to Alaska by Detective C.C. Perrin of Chicago or Denver. In total they traveled 26,000 miles back and forth across the continent. Finally in Washington, Perrin discovered that Novak had taken the steamer Al-Ki at Port Townsend on February 23 to Juneau. Perrin took the steamer Mexico on May 24 to Skagway. Both men had to secure provisions to cross the Chilkoot Pass. <p>Detective Perrin spent many days on the Chilkoot Pass looking for Novak. He then briefly saw him as his boat passed Novak's boat on Lake Bennet. He followed Novak to Dawson where he got a warrant from the Canadians to arrest him and take him back to Ohio for trial. Novak was claiming that his name was J.A. Smith. But when Captain Constantine compared the dental records (possibly dentures) of Novak with his dentists records from Ohio, the Mounties decided that they had their man! <p>On the way back through St Michael, Novak told Perrin that back in Iowa, he kept a bottle of whiskey impregnated with morphine in the store and found Murray drinking it. Later during the fire he tried to rescue him but was unable to (perhaps because he had first bashed in his skull). Such a story! Perrin was not swayed and succeeded in bringing the murderer back to Iowa for trial. <p>In November 1897 he was brought back, tried, and convicted of second degree murder and put in the Anamosa prison in Ohio. A second trial by the Supreme Court upheld the lower court decision. By 1903 he was involved in photography and was on the prison band being a model prisoner and his friends petitioned the Governor for clemency. Not sure if that happened as he was serving a life sentence. He died in Chicago on July 12, 1930 but was brought back home to be buried in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a few miles from the scene of the crime in Walford. <p>The Carroll Herald, April 1, 1903. The Baltimore Underwriter October 1897. Two Years in the Klondike and the Alaskan Gold Fields by Haskell.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-90572990913129882842012-06-28T16:13:00.000-07:002012-06-28T16:13:50.982-07:00Tagish Charley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SL2jK1YALpM/T-zjcMqC7oI/AAAAAAAABjg/oQFTzbEuFw0/s1600/tagish%2Bcharley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="293" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SL2jK1YALpM/T-zjcMqC7oI/AAAAAAAABjg/oQFTzbEuFw0/s400/tagish%2Bcharley.jpg" /></a></div> Tagish Charley or Charlie was born about 1865 in Tagish. He was a noted packer as seen above in this Hegg photo. His native name was Yeil Saagi Yelidoogu Xoonk'I Eesh. His wife was Nadagaat. Tagish Charlie, who later became known as Dawson Charlie, was Skookum Jim's nephew. Patsy Henderson was Charlie's brother. He guided early parties, but was not involved in the discovery of gold (that was Kaa Goox). Tagish Charley was a member of the beaver clan. <p>He drowned in Carcross on November 15, 1905 and is buried there. <p>Canadianmysteries.ca; Pierre Berton.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-153009905838547192012-06-22T16:55:00.002-07:002012-06-22T16:55:47.545-07:00Erastus Brainerd<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0yExDk39Is8/T-UFybDvhKI/AAAAAAAABjQ/bBm1eXR4VE0/s1600/220px-Erastus_Brainerd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="355" width="220" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0yExDk39Is8/T-UFybDvhKI/AAAAAAAABjQ/bBm1eXR4VE0/s400/220px-Erastus_Brainerd.jpg" /></a> <p>Erastus Brainerd was an American journalist and art museum curator. During the Yukon Gold Rush, he was the publicist who "sold the idea that Seattle was the Gateway to Alaska and the only such portal". He was born on February 25, 1855 in Middletown, Connecticut and attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University, from which he graduated at the age of 19. He served as curator of engravings at the Boston Museum of Arts, then traveled to Europe, where he promoted a tour for "lecturing showman" W. Irving Bishop. He was a social success in Europe, and became a Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, a Knight of the Red Cross of Rome, a Knight Templar, and a Freemason. <p>In July 1890, after recovering from three severe bouts of influenza, he headed west to become editor of the Seattle Press and the Press-Times, a role he held until September 1893. He left to focus on the office of State Land Commissioner, to which he had been appointed March 15, 1893. He joined the Rainier Club and organized a local Harvard Club. In 1897, as secretary and executive officer of the newly founded Bureau of Information of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, he became the most prominent figure in the publicity campaign that established Seattle's preeminence as a mercantile and outfitting center for the miners headed to the Yukon. He also convinced the federal government to open an assay office in Seattle. He briefly and unsuccessfully attempted to make a living as a "mining consultant" before becoming editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He may never have come to Skagway, but he certainly influenced the thousands that did. And so, we dub him a Skagway hero. <p>Brainerd died on December 25, 1922 in Tacoma, Washington. <p>Wikipedia; Library of Congress; National Park Service.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164385518932387262.post-59576408479260131282012-06-20T11:13:00.001-07:002012-06-20T11:13:30.593-07:00Philip Carteret Hill Primrose<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-73YPc6atk_c/T-ISlPeRzSI/AAAAAAAABjA/vG1PtM4iaFQ/s1600/170px-Primrose_-_Magistrate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="247" width="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-73YPc6atk_c/T-ISlPeRzSI/AAAAAAAABjA/vG1PtM4iaFQ/s400/170px-Primrose_-_Magistrate.jpg" /></a> P.C.H. Primrose was born on October 23, 1864 in Nova Scotia. He applied to the newly formed NWMP in 1885 and was commissioned then. <p>In 1898, at the outbreak of the Klondike Gold Rush, Primrose was assigned to the Yukon, where he was stationed at the H Division in Tagish. He became superintendent of that division in October 1899, then was transferred to become superintendent of the B Division one month later. In 1901, he was posted to Dawson, where he assumed responsibility for 43 Mounted Policemen and 4 other men at the Whitehorse station. During his time in the Yukon, the main role of the police was guarding people awaiting trials and prisoners serving sentences. <p>Primrose supervised the 1900 Yukon census, reporting to the Commissioner that the territory's population was 16,463. On May 13, 1900, he fined 31 "members of the sporting fraternity" $55 each, boosting the territorial treasury. Other activities included more community-oriented tasks, such as firefighting when permitted. He returned to Regina in 1914 and worked in many different capacities including being the 5th Lt. Governor of Alberta. He married and had 4 children and died in Edmonton on March 17, 1937. <p>He is seen above as a young North West Mounted Officer.Skagway Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976599670630759880noreply@blogger.com0